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All parent reviews for The Amber Spyglass: His Dark Materials, Book 3
Average rating based on 11 parent reviews:
- 27% say there are positive role models
AGE
Spare the Censor, Save the Child
I find all of these parents' rantings and ravings to be laughable. By censoring what your children read, you are putting them at a disadvantage for the rest of their lives. They will grow up with little or nothing to give to thought provoking conversations. Their peers will mock them: "Oh, mommy keeps baby from reading anything that has something to say about reality." Seriously, act like a rational person, and don't censor what your children read.
I find it offensive that the author of this page doubts if children can comprehend the subject matter. I was 12 when I read the series and understood everything it had to offer. It's probably only the children who have to read this book secretly from their censoring parents that have problems dealing with the ideas presented.
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AGE
not for kids!!!
in the third book, the bad guy is god, the church and angels. god has to be killed in order to save the world. this book is truly crazy!!!! the main characters also manage to have s**. the story line may be appropriate for adults, but definitely not children. the author's atheist views should not be thrown on families who have any religious beliefs.
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AGE
Amazing final to an amazing series.
Honestly, first off I want to ask the other reviewers what their issue is. You all seem to be so judgmental it's ridiculous. Just because the book was written by an athiest doesn't mean you should put down everything he writes. It's a story, and a good one at that, and you guys need to get over it. If you don't like it, the don't read it. It's pretty simple.
But I can tell you all, it does have adult themes, and it is definitly not a children's book, but it was one of my absolute favourite series of all time. I applaud Pullman on his fantastic writing style and ability.
Do not listen to these people that like to go hunt out the bad things in the book and even go so far as listing the page numbers. Obviously, these people have little or no lives, and need to be ignored. Give the book a try. It is amazing, regardless of who wrote it.
And to the reviewers before me, It is not nice to be intolerant of other religions. Maybe you should actually try to accept and RESPECT other people. Otherwise, they won't respect you. Enough said.
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AGE
Mature intellectually, highly engaging fantasy
Fascinating; very involving, gets you thinking, incredibly creative fantasy. great characters.
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AGE
Not a children's book
This is a thought-provoking and well-written book, but it is not a children's book. There's too much violence, and part of the plot involves the sexual awakening of two twelve-year-olds. I also think the themes of the book are above a child's head. The author interweaves Biblical imagery and allegory to express his belief in atheism. For children, though, who have trouble with abstractions and symbolism, I think it's unlikely that they'd reach the author's intended conclusion that there is no God. Instead, I think they'd take the story at face value and come to the conclusion that there is a God but he is bad and we should rebel against him. Also, there is never a clear dividing line between who is good and who is evil. For example, Lyra's father is supposedly one of the good guys and all the characters are flocking to join his revolution, but in order to set things in motion, he kills an innocent child. Blurred lines between good and evil might be realistic, but it's too confusing for a young child. I think this would be a great book for a teenager, but I'd be hesitant to let a younger child read it.
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AGE
an inspiring book that makes reader think
I read this book when I was around 12 and I thought it was amazing. It's brilliantly written, with lots of action and great description and an all around inspiring story. The characters are brave and strong and willing to sacrifice for the greater good. It's extremely imaginative and makes you laugh and cry and gets you excited...basically everything a good book should do!
Some parts of the book are controversial (in it, there is no heaven and hell)...but I think reading this book was good for me. My parents brought me up with religion, we pray every day and believe strongly in God and heaven and hell. Reading this book just showed me that there are other possibilities. YOU CAN'T KEEP YOUR KIDS LOCKED UP FOREVER! Eventually they're going to learn about atheism and sex and stuff like that. I personally feel that it's much better to learn about these things when your parents are still around so you can ask them questions. if you're, say, in college and someone asks you "Hey! How do you KNOW that there's a heaven and a hell? Hmmmm? Why do you believe this?" And it would really suck if you had no answer. When I have kids, I want them to know why I have this belief and why religion makes more sense. PEOPLE NEED TO OPEN THEIR EYES!!! There are so many people and things that can influence children and make them question. LET THEM!!!!!! My parents let me question and it made my belief so much stronger.
The only reason why someone might wait until they were older to read this book is so that they could better understand the themes and the message. And I guess some parents are worried about the sexual content, but seriously, when I read the book when I was little I didn't even realize that the main characters had had sex. I only noticed it when I re-read the book when I was older.
So overall, this book is incredible and inspiring and A REALLY GOOD THING FOR ANYONE TO READ!!!!
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AGE
This is not appropriate for kids
I don't care what your religion is, this is not a good book for kids. It annoys me we are told to stay away if our religion is easily offended... what if you have a sense of common decency? This book has themes that are not meant for kids. What kid needs to know about murder plots and 'sexual awakening'? This has nothing to do with religion, it has to do with the sort of message you want your kids to be reading!
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AGE
Definately not for children
I heard the hype about this book and found it at my kids' elememtary school library. I read all three books in the trilogy and found this one to be very disturbing.
First, the main characters go to the place where dead people go. They find that there is no heaven or hell, only a desolate wasteland where everyone goes for eternity. Where huge creatures torture each soul by reminding them of anything bad they might have done in their life. The idea of heaven is just a lie put on them by the people pushing religion.
Secondly, toward the end of the book the main characters who have just reached puberty suddenly become "self-aware" and kiss passionately and ultimately have s** (although it is not explicit).
The whole premise of the book is that religion, and I quote from the book "is a convenient mistake" and sin is actually a good thing.
These may be interesting topics for debate in a college class, but definately not for children.
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